Softball

Softball Swept by Stonehill Wednesday

NORTH ANDOVER, MA – Dropping a pair of Northeast-10
Conference games Wednesday, the Merrimack College softball team was
swept by Stonehill College in a doubleheader at Volpe Field, 4-2
and 2-1.

The Warriors fall to 11-22 (7-13 NE-10) with the back-to-back
losses and Stonehill improves to 16-12-1 (11-7 NE-10) on the year.

"We need to start hitting the way we're capable of again," said
head coach Elaine Schwager following the
game. "In any event, we need to push runs across the board in
one way or another."

In game one, sophomore Monique
Gosselin (Lawrence, MA) put the Warriors on the board
with a line-drive over the centerfield fence to bring home
shortstop Kristen Lemay
(Shrewsbury, MA) who recorded one of three Warrior hits in
the first inning.

Sophomore Alex Gallant
(Salem, NH) got the start in game one, holding the
Skyhawks scoreless through the first 3.2 innings before Skyhawk
Katy Abarr tied the game on a two-run bomb over the left field
fence. In a complete game, Gallant allowed six hits and
struck out two batters but walked five.

Each team went scoreless until the top of the sixth when Ashley
Langlois of Stonehill broke the 2-2 tie with a two-run single to
centerfield with two outs.

The Warriors threatened to score in the bottom half of the sixth
following a single to left field from freshman Courtney Parker
(Bellingham, MA) and a drawn walk by senior captain
Emily
Cummings (North Andover, MA), but the Warriors added
two to their total of stranded runners.

Despite error-free softball and going hit-for-hit (six each)
with Stonehill in game one, the Warriors dropped their third
straight at home.

In game two, Stonehill scored a run in each of the first two
innings to gain an early edge, 2-0, after Ashley Langlois of the
Skyhawks hit a solo homer in the second.

To cut the lead in half, Lemay hit her third homer of the year
in the bottom of the third. Sophomore Monique
Gosselin (Lawrence, MA) singled in the first inning as the
only other Warrior hit in the second game.

Despite seven errors by the Skyhawks in game two, the Warriors
could not capitalize leaving four stranded in the nightcap.

Merrimack is back in action on Saturday when they travel to
Syracuse to face Le Moyne College (12-14, 10-6 NE-10 before
Wednesday) for a doubleheader at noon.

"Le Moyne is certainly a good team and we're picked first in our
Conference, but we'll have to find a way to string something
together in the upcoming six-game road trip," said Schwager.
"Obviously this adversity is difficult, but I think it will
toughen up our players in the long run."